Happy 2026 to you all. It’s amazing that it’s a new year already and 2025 was one for the books. For me, it was full of suffering but also wonderful developments. Our stressful home renovation completed right before I had my (successful) brain surgery. Then we were fortunate to get pregnant with our second daughter who will be here by the end of January!
Pregnancy has not been easy this time around, especially chasing after a 3 year old and working a demanding full-time job in our current political environment, which directly affects my job. During this pregnancy I was extremely sick and even lost 10 lbs in the first trimester. In my second trimester I didn’t get the boost of energy I was hoping for like I did in my first pregnancy. And now I’m huge and feeling all the round ligament and pelvic girdle pain this pregnancy has to offer! I’m 36 weeks along and so excited to be almost done.
In a previous New Year’s post, I discussed what my resolutions were for that year. This time though, I don’t really have any. I’ve found resolutions are nice in theory, but often fail within the first two weeks and it’s hard to start good habits in the dead of winter. Also the fact that I’m about to birth a human makes most of your typical resolutions hard to achieve. I guess mine could be survive the newborn phase!
Instead of resolutions, I started working on my habits prior to the New Year. I wanted to be on my way to making progress to my goals which have worked better for me starting before the holidays. My main objective is decluttering my home. After my home renovation, there are many items that remain in boxes that nearly a year later, haven’t been touched.
Another habit I started was getting on a consistent cleaning schedule. It’s no easy feat keeping a home clean when you spend most of the day in an office and the evenings are a flurry of dinner, toddler chaos and then some semblance of relaxation. I had to be practical about the cleaning schedule, especially being pregnant. And while it wasn’t as impressive as the Fly Lady Method or Clutterbug, it was enough to help me maintain some sanity and feeling of accomplishment.
Daily tasks: Dishes, quick 5-minute tidy and declutter 5 items.
Weekly Cleaning Schedule:
- Monday: Floors
- Tuesday: Laundry
- Wednesday: Bathrooms
- Thursday: Clear flat surfaces
- Friday: Laundry
- Saturday: Outside maintenance
- Sunday: Grocery shopping/meal prep and change bedsheets.
This system worked for me up until recently where I’m just physically unable to do the majority of these chores. My husband helps as much as he can, but since I’m out of pocket that puts the majority of childcare, pet care and heavy lifting on him. These days I’m focusing on making healthy foods, keeping up with those pesky dishes and preparing for this baby to come any day now!
All this to say that even when you’re in a good groove, sometimes life is disruptive. 2025 has taught me to extend grace to myself in times of hardship. Rather than be upset I can’t keep up with the simple system that was working well for me, I’m recognizing my limits and that it’s okay to slow down in this season as my body prepares to bring new life into this world.
If you do have resolutions for the New Year, I would suggest leaving room for grace. In my line of work, our motto is always, “progress over perfection.”